Celebrate the community's victories in establishing the #Charlottesville Civilian Review Board & speak out on its mission at the City Council public hearing.
WHEN Tonight*** May 21, 5PM
WHERE Freedom of Speech Wall (in front of @CvilleCityHall)

LIVE from Free Speech Wall downtown:

@CvilleBLM kicking off rally celebrating wins of CRB: “We demanded a better resolution & it passed. We demanded a public applicant forum &we had it. We demanded that City Council dissolve the ineffective citizen advisory panel &they did,”

We need a CRB with “real investigative powers,” calls for the abolition of white supremacy, abolition of the institution of policing.

“When police stood down on A12, they allowed the injury of many protesters and death of Heather Heyer. And there’s been no accountability,” Heisey says.

“Will [newly-appointed Chief of CPD] Brackney hold all the officers accountable for the backlog of complaints? How are we supposed to trust her?

How are we supposed to trust this new chief of police?” Katrina of @CvilleBLM asks.

Community member of @CvilleFund w/ @ignitekindred: “We were unable to bail out any black women, even though we could identify many of them. Jailed for nonviolent offenses. Meanwhile we see Richard Preston and Cantwell get off free,” she says.

“These two white supremacists are sitting comfortably at home for their very violent acts in Cville and at @UVA. Compared to these black women who are in pre-trial detention for nonviolent offenses.”

White supremacists “sitting comfortably at home for very violent acts,” while black women languish in prison is unjust.

PHOTO: Crowd has gathered downtown by the Free Speech Wall to celebrate the coalition's victories over the past 6 months and to demonstrate that #Charlottesville community is committed to meaningful community oversight of our police

@socialistdogmom: “What about everyday abuses of police in this town? Not just a11 & a12. Standing at this very spot a few months ago, an older homeless gentlemen was assaulted by CPD. His blood was all over the ground,”

“Im calling out Pleasants, Otis, Thomas, Thomas, Hickey...I have you all in my mind. I have your name & I will have your badge number.” Sorry, your browser doesn't support embedded videos

Miss Rosia calls out the over-policing and under protection of Black people in #Charlottesville by CPD.

“I’m distraught that Pleasants is even still on the force in the top office...we’re tired of the harassment,”

Independent report of CPD determined Pleasants was not authorized to order VSP to use tear gas on J8. His response, now infamous, "you're damn right I gassed them,"

“#BlackLivesMatter. Our Black children should be whoever they choose to be. Black existence makes this world go round.”

Rosia points to the great debt that #Charlottesville and its major institutions owe Black people: “Cville was built on the backs of Black slaves.”

.@CvilleBLM and supporters in the crowd express skepticism of newly-appointed Chief, RaShall Brackney. Though Brackney said she'd read Heaphy independent report and would consider its recommendations, she said she would NOT judge the CPD’s actions on A12.

“I was gassed twice on J8. How's this chief going to change anything?

Doesn’t matter that this chief is a Black woman. What matters is transparency and relationship to community.”

.@CvilleBLM wants accountability of historical violence against and suppression of #Charlottesville communities of color — from slavery to 2018.

The crowd has dispersed, many community members funneling into @CvilleCityHall early for City Council (6:30PM). Folks will continue to express concern over Civilian Review Board include the CRB's authority, as well as which candidates will make the CRB.

Related hashtags

.@UVA gave private office to white supremacist (who was shortly after banned from Grounds) to shield him from community's dissent; they arrested a person peacefully protesting this fact, issued him a lifetime ban, & are pressing charges. #HoosARacist

This is DISGRACEFUL, @UVALaw. You have shown time and time and time again, this is who you are: cover and protection for white supremacists, actively endangering students and the community. #HoosARacist

A year ago on August 12, 2017, Heather Heyer was killed by a white supremacist. [Thread below]

President Trump equivocated – unable to see the difference between white supremacists walking through #Charlottesville and people like Heather who opposed them. In his view, some “very fine people” were among the torch-bearing racists. splcenter.org/fighting-hate/…

Last weekend, we once again saw the face of hate – this time in Portland, Oregon, where multiple people were injured in street fighting provoked by far-right extremists. splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018…

The best #Charlottesville-One-Year-Later stories will be written & produced by Charlottesvillians. Today, I'm starting a thread to highlight work that's caught my eye. I welcome suggestions about things I've missed.
But first...

Words matter. What happened in #Charlottesville on August 11th & 12th last year wasn't a rally. It wasn't a riot. It was terrorism.
White supremacist terrorists invaded my city, killing Heather Heyer & sending dozens to the hospital.
Terrorism. It's the right word. Please use it.

The best & most comprehensive account of the terrorist attacks in #Charlottesville last August 11th & 12th is sure to be @pastpunditry's podcast series. Many voices, many perspectives, brilliant synthesis. Listen to an intro here. 👇🏾

Speaker is currently going over how police trainer Jim Grossman has misled the public, including lying about winning a Pulitzer. Grossman, who encourages officers to "increase killing", presents himself as a psychologist despite not being licensed as one unicornriot.ninja/2018/public-fo…

Grossman has told officers to turn "killing" "on and off like a faucet" but according to speakers at tonight's panel, he lacks the psychological training and knowledge to support his extreme claims about how officers' mentalities relate to police shootings unicornriot.ninja/2018/public-fo…